Wednesday, April 14, 2004

BentleyBack when I was single and lived in an apartment, my neighbor Lois found a little black fluff of cat in the parking lot. I could hold all of him in the palm of my hand. He must have been about 4 weeks old. He had a spindle of a tail sticking straight up from the fluff, and it was broken at the end. I already had a cat and had no intention of having two. But every morning when I opened the door, he was there. Lois talked me into keeping him and she named him "Bentley" because of his broken (bent) tail.

Bentley grew to be a majestic Maine Coon cat with long, soft fur and a big fluffy tail. His long nose gave him an aire of confidence. His big yellow eyes were full of a longing emotion. He was big. He weighed 21 pounds and when he needed a hug, he could stand up and pat me on the waist. He was the sweetest cat I ever knew. He knew no malice.

I can remember moving to Norman to go to law school and living in a house next to a large field. Bentley liked to play outside. He had a habit of collecting kitty cat friends (which is odd for a cat). One night I looked out of the window to see Bentley and his best friend romping across the yard into the field, side by side.

A few years ago Bentley started to lose weight and seemed ill. We kept trying new foods and treatments, but nothing seemed to help. Finally we had him X-rayed and discovered he had swallowed two pennies and a nickle! They had begun to deterioriate in his body and were causing considerable trouble. We had them removed and brought him home. He has never been the same.

This winter was especially hard on Bentley. He has lost so much weight, he probably weighs about 5 pounds. He is sick all the time. So, we've made a heart-wrenching decision. Friday it ends.

I'll miss the way he rubs his forehead on my chin. I'll miss those big paws. And that look he gives me. And those mile-long whiskers. I'll miss you Bentley.